Luang Prabang weather in January

In January, Luang Prabang sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 17 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Luang Prabang's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Luang Prabang's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
11th warmest
Overnight low
13°
1st coldest
Rainfall
17 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:53 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
39%
3rd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Luang Prabang is city located in north central Laos.

Founded
~698 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Luang Prabang reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12413
22413
32413
42413
52413
62513
72513
82513
92513
102513
112513
122513
132513
142513
152513
162513
172513
182513
192513
202513
212513
222513
232513
242613
252613
262613
272613
282613
292614
302614
312614

How January really feels in Luang Prabang

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Luang Prabang weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 13°172.610.98.4
Feb28° / 15°101.811.37.8
Mar30° / 17°355.611.95.7
Apr31° / 20°8011.912.44.3
May31° / 22°13619.112.93.5
Jun30° / 23°17422.413.23.1
Jul29° / 23°27225.413.13.2
Aug29° / 23°30227.612.73.1
Sep29° / 22°19122.412.13.7
Oct28° / 20°7111.311.55.9
Nov27° / 17°224.211.17.7
Dec24° / 14°192.810.88.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27228
37228
47228
57030
67030
77030
87030
97030
107129
117129
127129
137228
147327
157327
167426
177525
187525
197723
207822
217822
227921
237921
247921
258020
268020
277921
288020
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Luang Prabang gets around 17 mm of rain over 2.6 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 8% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
410
510
610
710
810
910
109
119
129
138
148
158
167
177
187
197
207
217
227
237
247
257
267
278
288
298
308
318

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 52% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13143243
22944233
32846233
42747224
52748214
62649204
72650204
82651194
92652184
102752174
112752174
122753164
132753164
142754163
152754163
162754163
172654173
182655172
192654182
202555182
212554192
222454202
232454202
242354212
252354212
262254222
272353222
282353222
292452222
302552221
312651221

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:50 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 5:39 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:505:39
210.86:505:40
310.86:515:40
410.86:515:41
510.86:515:41
610.86:525:42
710.86:525:43
810.96:525:43
910.96:525:44
1010.96:525:44
1110.96:535:45
1210.96:535:46
1310.96:535:46
1410.96:535:47
1510.96:535:48
1610.96:535:48
1710.96:535:49
1810.96:535:49
1910.96:535:50
2011.06:535:51
2111.06:535:51
2211.06:535:52
2311.06:535:53
2411.06:535:53
2511.06:535:54
2611.06:535:55
2711.06:535:55
2811.16:525:56
2911.16:525:56
3011.16:525:57
3111.16:525:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.03 kWh/m² to a high of 5.93 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Luang Prabang

In seasonPeak

In January, Luang Prabang sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Luang Prabang sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Luang Prabang's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Luang Prabang?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

8.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Luang Prabang for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Luang Prabang in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Luang Prabang sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Luang Prabang in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Luang Prabang peaks around June 21 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 7 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highJun 21UV 13Dec 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Luang Prabang in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Luang Prabang is worst in April — around 548 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 72.1× the cleanest month (September, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090120150180210240270300330360390420450480510540JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery unhealthyGoodApr 13512 µg/m³Sep 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb27Moderate
Mar342Very unhealthy
Apr548Very unhealthy
May46Poor
Jun10Good
Jul9Good
Aug8Good
Sep8Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Luang Prabang?

Luang Prabang sits at 19.9°N, 102.2°E, 296 m above sea level, in Laos. The nearest listed city is Nong Khiaw, 89 km away.

Nong KhiawMuang XayVang ViengMuang PhônsavanLuang NamthaMuang SingBan HouakhouaDien Bien Phu

Topography around Luang Prabang

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Luang Prabang.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Luang Prabang has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 267 m around an average of 316 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,308 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,821 m.

The land around Luang Prabang is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (70%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
267 m
16 km
1,308 m
80 km
1,821 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Nong Khiaw 89 km · Muang Xay 91 km · Vang Vieng 112 km · Muang Phônsavan 119 km · Luang Namtha 141 km · Muang Sing 178 km · Ban Houakhoua 182 km · Dien Bien Phu 189 km

Laos travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / E / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,325
2025
Happiness
5.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
35%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
17.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 461
Religion
Buddhist 65%none 31%other/not stated 2%Christian 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Luang Prabang (19.8933°, 102.1525°, elevation 296 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).